An Unnamed Story
by Manwathiel Melda
Summary: A story written in '06-'07 about when Ellie and Legolas meet in Rivendell and what happens now that they're older.
1. Illness and Welcoming

[An Unnamed Story] By Manwathiel

Characters: Arwen; Ellethana (Ellie); Wilwarin, Ellie's mother; Gil-gond, Ellie's father; Celeborn; Galadriel; Lord Elrond; Celebrían; Glorfindel; Erestor; Elladan and Elrohir; and Legolas

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Tolkien, except Ellethana, who is my original character.

A/N: This story takes place a few years after Friends Forever?, so Arwen and Ellie are very good friends. They are about fifteen, Legolas is about sixteen.

* * *

"Arwen!" A young elven voice could be heard across the fields. Ellethana, also known as Ellie, was looking for her cousin. Arwen had gone missing about ten or fifteen minutes after breakfast. Ellie, Arwen's older brothers (Elladan and Elrohir), Glorfindel, Erestor, and Lord Elrond had all been looking for her since then.

Lord Elrond was Arwen's father and a foster father to Ellie. Erestor was one of his advisors, and Glorfindel was one of Elrond's good friends. Erestor and Glorfindel didn't always get along. Actually, more often than not, one could catch the two arguing about something or rather. Elladan and Elrohir were identical twins and could be a whole lot to handle sometimes. They enjoyed playing tricks on others and only really listened to Elrond and Glorfindel.

Ellethana was about the same age as Arwen and lived in Rivendell with Lord Elrond.

Galadriel was her great-aunt, and Galadriel's sister was Ellie's grandmother. She had formerly lived in Lothlórien with her mother's side of the family but had recently come to Rivendell where her father was from. He had just been one of the "other" elves, but when he got married, he had moved to Lothlórien to be with his wife's family. He made trips back to Rivendell every few years, but on one particular trip, he was murdered by orcs, one of Saron's many evil creatures. Ellie's mother died of grief.

**********

Arwen was hiding on the edge of the forest. She was hiding from her father, because at breakfast, Ellie had told her that she had gotten in trouble with him for playing tricks on her brothers.

**********

Elrond was tired and so was everyone else. He wondered why she was missing. Then it dawned on him. Arwen was hiding.

Overhead, the skies darken. He was worried about his only daughter. He was afraid that she would get sick.

**********

Arwen sneezed four times before realizing she had caught a cold. She shivered. It was awfully cold. She had thought about bringing her cloak with her but had decided against it.

**********

Ellie, after about half an hour, thought about looking in the forests that surrounded Rivendell. Normally, they were not supposed to go into the forests alone, but this was an emergency! She HAD to find Arwen!

*********

Arwen thought she heard someone calling her name, but she was not sure. It did not sound like a male voice but a young girl. It felt like a dream. Had Ellie come looking for?

The young girl stumbled on something that turned out to be feet. _'That is odd,' _she mused. _'The trees here do not have feet, unless the Ents came all the way here, which I highly doubt. So if it is not a tree, then it must be...'_ "Arwen!" she shouted loud enough for all of Rivendell to hear.

Arwen was coughing. A lot. Ellie was worried about her best friend.

"Arwen," Ellie said, "I am going to take you home. To Rivendell. To Ada Elrond. So he can help you. I am very worried about you, and I do not want you to die. Like my parents," she added softly, barely audible.

*********

When the two girls arrived back home, everyone else was there, talking in the Hall of Fire. When Elrond saw his only daughter, of whom he was very protective, shivering, he rushed up and carried her to the Healing Rooms. She was shivering so hard that she shook in his arms, and her father was having trouble holding onto her. Ellie followed them, sorry that she had not looked in the forests earlier.

Elrond turned around. "Thank you, Ellethana. Thank you very much."

*********

Elrond worked all night trying to heal her. He couldn't tell if it was working or not.

*********

Arwen passed out. She was in darkness all night and thought that she was dead.

*********

In the morning, Arwen woke up, confused. Her father sat beside the bed, and he was asleep. Ellie sat there too, and she was smiling.

Arwen smiled back at her best friend. She felt much better. Ellie shook Master Elrond awake. When he woke up, he asked her how she felt.

"I am fine now, Ada," she said. ((Father)) She coughed.

"Ellethana, would you go and get some of Erestor's honey tea for Arwen? Thank you," Elrond said as his foster daughter ran out of the room. "Now, Arwen," he said as he turned towards her, "Why, in Middle-Earth, did you run away like that? I was worried sick about you, darling."

"Because you were mad at me," she replied.

"Why was I mad at you?"

"I was arguing with Elladan and Elrohir."

"Oh, Arwen. I wasn't mad at you. I was just upset and annoyed because the three of you weren't getting along. I also had a headache. It had been a long day."

*********

_The day started during breakfast. The twin and Arwen had started off a perfectly beautiful day with a fight over the syrup of their pancakes. Arwen had said that her brothers were hogging it and wouldn't share. _

_An hour or two later, Glorfindel had come and told Master Elrond that the three elflings had been arguing again during lessons. That had just added on to the Elven Lord's already existing headache. Then the younger ones played with their swords, under Glorfindel's supervision. Arwen had come complaining that the twins were hitting her with their swords. The swords were blunt, as Elrond had insisted, but they could hurt all the same. Elrond had sent his daughter back outside to continue the swordplay that Glorfindel had started; then, he decided to take a small rest. _

_He had discovered he got headaches more often when his wife Celebrían was gone. Right now, she was visiting her parents, Celeborn and Galadriel, in Lothlórien. _

_At lunch, the twins complained that Arwen was being mean to them. Their father had just put his head in his hands and shook his head 'no.' They had never seen him do this before, so they asked what was wrong. He said _'nothing'_! Then Elrond walked out of the dining room. _

_*****  
_

_Elrond walked into the kitchen and got himself a cup of tea. Then he walked to his room and lay down. He fell asleep, listening to the calm sound of raindrops on the window. _

_*****_

_Elrond awoke to the rapid knock on his door. He sat up. _'Who could it be?' _he thought. _'I still have a headache.'

"_Elrond! Are you in there?" his good friend called though the door. _

"_Glorfindel. What are you doing here?" the puzzled elf asked. _

"_I was worried about you," Glorfindel answered. "You do not usually leave in the middle of a meal, unless something is very wrong. So, what is it, mellon-nin? What trouble you this rainy afternoon? And, umm, what are you doing on your bed?" ((My friend))_

_Elrond closed his eyes then snapped them back open. There was no reason to give his friend any clues that anything was wrong, especially when the blond elf already suspected something. _

"_Nothing, Glorfindel," Elrond said in reply to the last question. "It was just a headache, mellon-nin. Nothing to worry about," he muttered more to himself than anyone else. _

"_Just a headache, huh? Come on, Elrond. I know that something else is wrong."_

"_No!" Elrond shouted. "There is nothing else," he added much more quietly, so quietly that his friend had to strain his ears to catch what the Elven Lord had said. The last ting he wanted was anyone else coming in at that moment. "I am just fine, mellon-nin." _

"_Alright. Just remember that I am here if you want to talk, Elrond." Glorfindel knew he could not push his friend when Elrond did not want to talk. Glorfindel wanted to ask a question but was a bit hesitant. "Do you think..." his voice trailed off. "Oh, never mind."_

"_What was it, Glorfindel? Were you going to ask about..." His voice too trailed off. _

"_Yes, but I can see that you do not want to talk about it," his councilor said. _

"_I do miss her, Glorfindel. She always knew how to make me smile, which not many people can do now. I know that she will be back... And yes, I do seem to get more headaches when she is gone. Probably because I have to watch the younger elves more."_

"_I see. I will go now and let you rest; maybe that headache of yours will go away if I let you sleep," Glorfindel said with a smile. "And, Elrond," the blond elf added, "don't worry about the twins and the girls. I will see to it that they behave."_

"_Hannon-le, mellon-nin," Elrond whispered. "Hannon-le." ((Thank you)) _

_*****_

"_Glorfy, where's Ada?" an innocent voice asked. Glorfindel looked down at the young elfling. _

"_Your father is in his room, Elrohir," the older elf replied. _

"_What's he doing?" a voice identical to his twin's asked. Glorfindel was not sure what to tell them. Should he tell the truth or not?_

_Your Adar is resting, Elladan. Be sure not to wake him."_

"_Why?" a young, girl questioned. _

"_He is tired, Arwen." _

"_What's wrong?" Elrohir asked._

"_Yah, Glorfy. What's wrong?" Elladan and Elrohir usually would not think of new things to say, instead, they would repeat what each other said. _

"_Nothing is wrong, boys. He has just been working himself too hard." Glorfindel disliked being called 'Glorfy,' but he did not say anything on the matter. He knew it would just annoy Elrond because the Elven Lord has many things to think about. The blond elf almost always went to his friend whenever he and Erestor had problems. Erestor. Another one of Glorfindel's problems. He wished that he and the advisor would be able to get along instead of arguing all of the time. _

"_Glorfindel." A tap on his back startled him out of his thoughts and back to reality. "Will Ada Elrond be alright?"_

_From that Glorfindel knew it was Ellie. She was the only one who didn't call Elrond 'Ada.'_

"_Ellie," he said, placing his hands on her small shoulders, "he will be just fine. Now," he said standing up," I am going to check on your father. Elladan, Elrohir, be nice to your sisters, and girls, be nice to your brothers. I expect all of you to behave!" _

_*****_

_Elrond was asleep. When he woke up, his head still hurt. He drank the rest of his tea then lay back down. _'I wonder how Glorfindel is doing with the younger elves,' _he wondered as he fell back asleep._

_*****_

_Glorfindel walked up to Elrond's door silently, as elves are able to. He was worried about his friend because Elrond only really got tired when Celebrían was not there. _

"_Elrond," Glorfindel called softly, "are you alright?" _

_When Elrond didn't answer, the blond elf began to worry some more. He opened the door very quietly and snuck in. He crept over to the large bed near the window and looked down. There was Elrond, sleeping with his eyes open. All elves have to ability to sleep with their eyes open. _

_Glorfindel walked silently out of the room and back out to where to elflings were suppose to be. He knew that Elrond need to rest, so the blond elf left him alone._

_*****_

_When Elrond awoke, he felt somewhat tired, but his head had stopped hurting. He got up and walked to his study, which was near the library. _

'What time is it?' _he wondered. _'And how is Glorfindel doing with the younger ones?'

_*****_

_The rain had stopped, so Glorfindel decided to let Arwen, Ellethana, Elladan, and Elrohir go outside and practice archery. Elladan was better that his brother or sister but Ellethana was the best out of all of the younger elves in the whole area. That could be because she was from Lothlórien, where the elves learn how to use a bow and arrow as their primary weapon. _

_Sometimes Ellie regretted not being quicker with her bow on the way to Rivendell. The group of a few elves, including Ellethana, had been traveling over the Misty Mountains (for they wouldn't ever dare think about going under the mountain, though the Mines of Moria), and they were attacked by a small company of orcs. Ellethana had gotten hurt. Her arm was broken, and she had been scratched on her forehead with the orc's blade. The scratch had turned out to be poisoned a few weeks later. All Ellie remembered was that she had had a headache; fainted in the kitchen; and woke up in the Healing Rooms without a headache, but with an arm that hurt like crazy. _[A/N see Friends Forever?]

_Ellethana's face grew sad as she thought of those days. She knew that she should be happy because she had a good friend now, but for some reason, whenever she thought back to her first few weeks in Rivendell, she was sad. Ellie and Arwen had fought over what had seemed like a big deal then but was nothing now. Now the two girls were the best of friends. _

_*****_

_Later in the day…_

_The twins and Arwen got along better at dinner. They were polite and didn't argue, but they were a little bit stiff. _

_Master Elrond did not show up at the dinner table. With his wife not due back for another two weeks, he didn't want to risk anymore of his migraines. _

_Glorfindel did tell him that all four of the younger elves got along just fine. Erestor kept busy in the kitchen for the rest of the evening because he disliked looking after the young ones. Glorfindel enjoyed watching them, so he read them a story and sent them to bed while their father stayed in his study and worked on many things. _

*********

"Ada, can I have something to eat?" Arwen's question pulled Elrond back to the present. Elrond looked down at his beautiful daughter. She had finished the tea that Ellethana had brought. Looking at Arwen brought back memories.

*********

_Celebrían sat on the edge of the bed. She was holding a newborn baby girl, Arwen. She and her husband had two young twin boys, about five or six years old (human years) and now they had added onto their young family with a little girl. _

_Elrond walked softly into the room and started singing a soft, quiet song. Soon his wife joined in with her beautiful voice. _

_*****_

_Glorfindel heard them and walked towards their room, but then decided to let the couple be alone. He recognized the song as a lullaby they had sung to the twins, Elladan and Elrohir, when they had been babies. He thought that Arwen was beautiful. She had black hair like her father and grey eyes like her mother. Glorfindel knew that everyone thought Arwen to be adorable. Well, almost everyone. He knew the twins didn't like her very much. He decided to go and talk to them. _

_*****_

_Glorfindel found the twins in the room that they shared. _

"_Hi, Glorfy," the older one said when he saw the blonde elf. _

"_Good morning Elladan," Glorfindel replied. "How are you two this fine morning?" _

"_'Dan (Elladan) and I are fine," Elrohir asked. He looked around. "Where is Ammë?" ((Mother))_

"_Your mother is in her room with your father. They are taking care of your sister." Glorfindel noticed both boys look around the room in an odd fashion. "Elrohir, can I talk to you and your brother about something?" _

_Elrohir sent a questioning look towards his brother then nodded. _

"_I have observed that you two are not very fond of your sister, are you, Elladan? Elrohir?" Glorfindel had not meant to be quite that blunt when he started. He just wanted to find out what was bothering the twin terrors, as they were often called in Rivendell. They were usually very talkative and cheerful, but now they seemed to be quieter. They still talked of the time, but they seemed very distracted during their lessons. _

_Elladan and Elrohir both looked down at the floor. Then they shook their heads. _

"_Not really," Elrohir said. _

"_But you won't tell Ada that Ro (Elrohir) and I said that, will you, Glorfy?"_

_Glorfindel looked down at the two identical faces. The twins looked scared. _

"_No, Elladan. I will not tell your father."_

_Both boys looked very relieved. "Bye, Glorfy," they said in at the same time. _

_*****_

_Glorfindel walked to the kitchen where he found Erestor humming quietly to himself. _

"_Good morning, Erestor," Glorfindel said. _

"_Oh, hello, Glorfindel," Erestor replied coolly. "I did not see you."_

_Erestor went back to whatever he had been doing, maybe baking a cake or something. More often than not, one could find the advisor in the kitchen baking a cake or something to that effect. _

_Glorfindel remembered when Erestor first came to Rivendell. He had almost spent the first week in the kitchen. Elrond hadn't really cared, for he and Celebrían had been very busy getting ready for the twins' third birthday. That had been very crazy. _

_*****_

_In Lothlórien…_

"_She's beautiful, darling." A dark haired elf looked lovingly at his newborn daughter. He and his wife had decided to name her Ellethana. She had dark brown hair like her father and hazel eyes like her mother. _

"_Yes, she is beautiful. Galadriel!" the young mother called to her aunt. _

_Galadriel came down the steps and picked up her great-niece. "She's adorable, child. Celeborn should see this beautiful little girl," Galadriel said. "Celeborn," she called quietly, "come and see your beautiful great-niece!" _

_Celeborn came up behind his wife and took Ellethana from her hands. _

"_She has dark hair, __Wilwarin," he said. _

"_I know. Just like her father, Celeborn," Ellie's mother replied. _

"_But is she not adorable, darling?" Galadriel asked. _

"_I never said she wasn't cute; I just said she has dark hair. But yes, honey, she is beautiful. And I do like her, even if she had dark hair like you, Gil-gond," Celeborn answered. "Well, we will leave you two with some peace now." _

_The older couple left quietly, whispering to themselves. _

"_Honey, I think I need some rest now. Would you mind looking after Ellethana for a while?"_

"_Of course I will, darling. Now you just rest and don't worry about a thing." Gil-gond could tell his wife desperately needed some sleep after everything that had happened that day. Anyone would be exhausted after giving birth and taking care of the child all morning. He took their daughter out of her mother's arms and walked a little ways away. _

_*****_

_In Rivendell…_

_The twins groaned when they heard their sister start crying again. _

"_Not again," Elladan said. This was the tenth time in forty-five minutes. _

"_I wonder what she is crying about this time, Elladan," his younger brother wondered out loud. _

_*****_

_Arwen was crying because she was hungry. Celebrían told her husband to get the message to her parents in Lothlórien. Elrond told her he had already sent messages to tell her parents. When Arwen fell asleep, the couple walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind them. _

*********

Ellethana was lonely and wanted someone who would play with her. She would have played with Arwen, but the last time she had checked with Lord Elrond, he wasn't letting his daughter get up.

Whenever Ellethana was lonely, she thought back to her childhood about her parents. Her mother Wilwarin had had long golden hair and hazel eyes. She had been Galadriel's sister only child. She lived in Lothlórien all of her short life (for an elf). Her father, on the other hand, had been a different matter altogether. Gil-gond had had dark brown hair and gray eyes. He had a younger brother. Gil-gond had grown up in Rivendell but had started traveling with a group of rangers when he was old enough. He traveled to some of the following places: Lothlórien, Northern Mirkwood, Gondor, Rohan, and sometimes the Shire.

Ellie really wanted to visit Mirkwood again, for Arwen had told her about the Princess Miriel who lived there. From what Arwen said, Miriel was very nice. Ellie knew she had at least one older brother. Legolas had often come to Rivendell to visit Arwen's older brothers, Elladan and Elrohir.

On one particular trip to Lothlórien, Gil-gond saw the maiden of his dreams, Wilwarin. He left for a month then came back, and the two were married under the trees.

*********

"Boo!" shouted a voice behind the young girl. Ellethana spun around.

"Arwen!" she screamed, surprised. Her voice quieted down. "I did not see you, mellon-nin." ((My friend))

"Come on, Ellie. Let's go and play with our dolls," Arwen insisted.

"Alright, I am coming, Arwen." Ellie followed her friend to Arwen's room. "How do you feel, mellon-nin?" Ellethana asked.

I feel fine, other than missing out on playing with you, that is," Arwen replied. "Ada told me that Legolas is coming tomorrow, to visit with my older brothers."

"The twins think you are sweet on him," Ellie put in. "Are you, Arwen?" she whispered.

"NO!" Arwen shouted. "Why should I be sweet on him, Ellie?"

"Well," Ellie thought out loud, "you two are about the same age and…"

Arwen smacked Ellie with her pillow. "I thought you were my friend! Anyway, you're the same age as us too, you know. Are _you_ sweet on him, Ellie?" Arwen's voice quieted down to a whisper.

"No, I barely know him!" Ellie said, obviously upset.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, mellon-nin," Arwen said. "I never should have asked you that."

"I am sorry too. Whoever you like is your private business," Ellethana replied. "I am sorry."

*********

The next day, Legolas arrived in Rivendell.

"Hi, Arwen," he said. Arwen nodded ever so slightly. "Good morning, Ellethana."

The young girl tensed at the use of her full name. She was not used to anyone calling her that save a few older elves. Only Master Elrond, Celebrían, Ashiaro, and Glorfindel ever called her that. Everyone else just called her Ellie. "Good morning, Legolas," she said politely.

"Arwen," Legolas asked, "where might I find your brothers?"

"I don't know," she said rudely.

At this point, Ellethana spoke for her friend. "You might check outside or in their room," she told Legolas.

When the blond elf left, Ellie asked Arwen why she did not say hello.

"Because I'm not talking to him unless I have to!" her friend replied angrily.

"Ada Elrond will probably hear about this. But, of course, you know that, do you not?"

"Of course I know that, Ellethana!" Arwen snapped. She knew Ellie disliked being called by her full name, but Arwen did not care. She was very angry and probably would not want to do anything fun right then.

*********

Legolas found the twins in their room. They were working on some sort of art project.

"Hi, Legolas," Elladan said.

"How are you?" the other twin asked.

"Sailud, mellon-nin. I am fine. And how are the two of you?" the youngest elf inquired.

"We're fine as well. We're making presents for Celeborn and Galadriel. Ada told us that they were coming to visit when Ammë comes home. How long are you stay, Legolas?" Elrohir asked.

"I'm not sure, Elrohir," Legolas answered. "I could stay here for a month or maybe longer. I need to give something to your father while I am here."

"We can take you to him, mellon-nin," Elladan said. "Do you want to go right now?"

"Not right now. What if he is busy? Wouldn't you rather work on your cards for your grandparents?"

The twins glanced at each other. "Are you nervous, Legolas?" they asked.

"No, of course not," Legolas said a bit too loudly, biting his nails. The twins started laughing.

*********

Elrond was in a meeting with Erestor and Glorfindel.

"I wonder if Legolas has arrived yet," Elrond said.

"Yes, he is here." Glorfindel answered his friend's question. "I saw him with the twins just before the meeting. Why, mellon-nin?"

"He was, I mean, is, just supposed to deliver something from his father. That is all."

"Yes, he did say something about a thing for you, Master Elrond," Erestor said.

"Alright," said the Elven Lord, "I have things to do and I'm sure you two do also, so this meeting is over."

*********

"Arwen," Ellethana called, "Master Glorfindel told me that Auntie Galadriel and Uncle Celeborn are coming here with your Ammë!"

"They are?" came the reply.

"Of course, Silly. I just said that, did I not?"

"Do Elladan and Elrohir know?"

"Yes. Glorfindel told them before he told me."

"This is the first time they have visited in a very long time. Last time I saw them was at the Mid-year celebrations. Those seem like ages ago."

"I know. I used to live with them."

Arwen noticed her friend's face grow sad. "Ellie, you can miss them, but don't miss them too much. I'm sure Galadriel wouldn't want to you to be sad all the time."

"I guess you are right, Arwen. I really miss my Ada and Ammë."

"I know, Ellie. I know." Arwen's voice was very solemn. "Let's make something for Celeborn and Galadriel," she said, her voice raising her and Ellethana's spirits.

*********

Elrond went in search of his sons. He really hoped that they did not take poor Legolas out in to the snow, like they did that one time on Midwinter's Eve. First, he looked outside then in their room. He could not find them.

"Glorfindel! Have you seen the twins?" he called.

"No! Are they in their room? It just started to snow again!" the blond elf replied. "Check the kitchen. I heard Erestor mumble something about baking some cookies or a cake today. And you know how much the twins love 'helping' Erestor bake things!" Glorfindel added with a small chuckle.

*********

The twins and Legolas _were_ in the kitchen helping the older elf bake cookies. The twins were licking the spoons, and Legolas was helping Erestor put the cookies on the pan.

"'Dan, 'Ro, come and help me with this!" Legolas said.

"But we're busy!" the boys replied. "We're cleaning up!"

Legolas rolled his eyes. He knew what the twins were up to. The twins were just eating the extra dough and licking the spoons Erestor had used to make the cookies.

*********

Master Elrond walked into the kitchen and found Legolas hard at work and the twins playing around with the spoons, which were now extremely shiny. The two boys were playing swords.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" he said loudly. His voice was very sharp. "You know better than to play in the kitchen! You two may continue your game elsewhere."

The twins were about to argue but then saw the stern look on their father's face and decided against it. "Yes, Ada. We will," they said.

"Legolas, do you have the thing your father sent?" Elrond asked.

"Yes. I can go and get it now, Master Elrond." Whenever Legolas addressed Elrond, he always said "Master" or "Lord."

"Yes please, Legolas," was the reply. As the young elf ran out, Elrond turned to Erestor. "Erestor, did the twins actually help? I mean, did they do anything except lick the spoons?"

Erestor looked up. He was sure he heard some nervousness in the Elven Lord's voice. "No. Why?"

"No particular reason. Were they bothering you at all?"

"No. Elrond, if you're worried about the twins," he paused and looked up at Elrond, "don't be. They are just fine."

"Do you think I'm over-protective of them, Erestor?" the concerned Peredhil asked. Erestor was about to answer when Legolas burst in to the kitchen with a small scroll in his hands.

"Ada told me this is very important, and he would be very mad if I lost it," Legolas said.

"Thank you, Legolas," Elrond said. "If you would like, you may go and look for the twins now."

"Thank you, Master Elrond. I think I will," the young elfling replied as he ran out.

"Now what were you going to say, Erestor?" the Elven Lord asked.

*********

"What are you making, Ellie?" Arwen asked.

"I am making card," the younger girl said.

"I'm making a picture for them," her friend said. "I can't wait to see them. Or Ammë, for that matter," she added.

"I miss them so much sometimes," Ellethana said. "I am glad that your Ammë is coming home soon. I will never get to see mine again."

The familiar old tears welled up in the young elf's eyes. She turned away quickly, hoping Arwen would not notice.

Arwen heard some sadness in her friend's voice and saw the tears come to her eyes. What had been said was true, but was the very sad truth. "Ellie, don't worry. You live here now. My Ada is taking care of you and so is my Ammë. So, please, mellon-nin, do not cry."

The elfling glared at the other one for a minute. Ellethana knew Arwen was right, but she could not help but feel sad sometimes. She silently thanked Ilúvatar for her friend. "You are right again, Arwen. I can not argue with _that _statement!" Ellethana smiled.

"That's better. You look much prettier when you smile, Ellie," Arwen said. "Let's get back to work."

*********

With the twins working on their cards, poor Legolas had nothing to do.

'_I guess I can draw something,'_ he thought. He went to his room and grabbed his pad and pencil.

"What can I draw?" he asked out loud.

"Do you need some help, Legolas?" a voice asked.

Legolas turned around to find another young elfling about the same age as him.

"Yes, I guess I could use some, Ellethana," he replied.

"Please, Legolas. Call me Ellie. That is what everyone else calls me."

"Alright, Ellie," he said, "I could use some help. I need someone or something to draw."

"Could you draw me?" she asked.

"Would you like me to?"

"Do you want to?"

He shrugged. "Sure."

*********

About twenty minutes later, Legolas was finished. "What do you think, Ellie?"

Ellethana let out a happy sigh. "It is beautiful, Legolas."

"Yes, but not as beautiful as the…" Legolas stopped short and clamped his hand over his mouth. He could feel his face growing warm. He had almost let something slip but had caught himself just in time. "I mean…uh…um…" he stuttered.

"What do you mean, Legolas?" Ellethana inquired.

"Never mind," he said and ran away.

*********

'_Why was he blushing?' _Ellie wondered. _'Maybe Arwen knows!' _

"Arwen!"

"What?"

"Is it just me or has Legolas been acting strange?"

"I don't know, Ellie. He seemed fine this morning. Why?"

"Oh, no reason."

Arwen gave her friend a strange look that said 'there's more going on than you're telling!' "Ellie, why are you blushing?"

*********

"Why did you say that, Legolas?" the princeling asked himself. He was sitting in the library with his notebook in hand. "And why in Middle Earth did you blush?" That question echoed in his head. Why _did_ he blush?

"I didn't!" he said loudly, trying to ignore the little voice that said he did. Legolas flipped though his notebook, looking at the pictures he had drawn over the years. He stopped when he reached the picture he had just drawn.

"Why did you do that, Legolas?" he said out loud.

"Why did you do what?" Legolas turned to find another light-haired elf looking at him. "Would you like to tell me about it, Legolas?"

*********

Ellethana looked down at the floor. "No reason, Arwen. I need to finish my card for Auntie and Uncle."

"Alright," Arwen said with a sly smile. "What's going on, Ellie?"

"Nothing! Okay?" Ellie shouted. She was getting very annoyed with her best friend and just wanted finish the card.

*********

"Where's Legolas?" Elladan asked.

"I don't know, 'Dan. I haven't seen him." Elrohir replied. "Oh well. We'll find him later."

*********

"I don't know," Legolas said. "I do, but I don't. Do you know what I mean?" The other elf nodded, so Legolas continued. "I'm embarrassed, and, well, you know."

"I understand. If you would rather not talk about it, Legolas, then that is just fine," the older one said. He stood up to leave.

"Wait. I would like to talk," Legolas said. "Well, it's like this…"

*********

Elrond, sitting in his study, reflected on what Erestor had told him. Maybe he _was_ over-protective of the twins. But he couldn't help it. They were his sons, and he wanted them to be safe. Elrond felt a special attachment to his sons, twins. This feeling could have been because he was a twin. His identical twin brother Elros had chosen to become mortal, while Elrond chose to be elven. Although the two had fought often, the brothers had been very close. Elrond had been very sad when his brother chose to be mortal, even tried to talk him out of it, but nothing had worked. Elros was just too stubborn. He had died while visiting Elrond just weeks before their birthday. Elrond was sad for many years after. He wished his sons would understand the sadness that the other suffered when this happened. The last thing the wise Elven Lord wanted was for his sons to have to learn the hard way.

*********

"So you see, Glorfindel," Legolas concluded, "I really like Arwen, but she doesn't like me at all. She barely even talks to me." Legolas had just finished telling Glorfindel everything that was going on. He had told him about the picture he had drawn and how Ellethana's eyes had been shining when she saw it. "What should I do?" he asked.

"Well, first of all, Legolas," Glorfindel said, "you must tell Ellethana how you feel."

"I want to, but I don't want to hurt her feelings. She has been hurt like that that too many times. Anyways, I do want to be friends, but…"

"I understand, Legolas. But you need to tell her, and I would do it soon if I were you. The longer you wait, the harder and more personal she'll take it. On the other hand…" Glorfindel stopped when he heard the door open.

"There he is, 'Dan," Elrohir said.

"Yes, there he is. Hi, Glorfy," Elladan replied.

"How are you two this fine day?" Glorfindel asked. He disliked the name "Glorfy" but decided not to make a scene out of it.

"We're fine," they answered.

"Can Legolas come and play with us now?" Elladan asked.

"That is up to him. What do you say, Legolas? Would you like to play with them now? We can finish our conversation later, if you would like that."

"Okay. But I'll come back to finish talking with you, Glorfindel."

Glorfindel watched as Legolas ran off to play. The older elf picked up a book that was lying on the table and started to read. He knew Legolas would come back later to talk, so the blond elf had no intentions of leaving.

*********

"Arwen, I finished my card for Galadriel and Celeborn!"

"Okay. Let's play with our dolls," Arwen replied, walking over. Ellethana ran to their rooms and grabbed their dolls. She and Arwen had matching dolls, given to them by Celeborn and Galadriel, and pink and purple hilted swords from Elrond and Celebrían. The two girls were almost like twins. They did mostly everything together. They played together, they had school together, and they traveled together.

But other than that, they were opposites. Ellethana loved being outside, while Arwen enjoyed staying inside. This might have been because Ellie was from Lothlórien, where they did almost everything outside, and Arwen was from Rivendell, where her father only let her outside for school. Ellie enjoyed adventure stories, while Arwen preferred romance. The girls argued often, mostly about random things. They argued over their swords, their dolls, and their time with the older elves of Rivendell.

"Ellie, where's my doll?" Arwen asked.

"I could not find Anarel, Arwen. I looked everywhere, in both rooms too," Ellethana replied. She was playing with _her_ doll Wilwarin, whom she named after her mother.

"I don't want to play dolls anymore, Ellie," Arwen stated. "I'm going to look for Anarel. Maybe one of my brothers took her. See you later."

*********

When Arwen had looked in the rooms with no luck, she went in search of her brothers. She stopped by the library when she saw Glorfindel sitting with his book.

"Glorfindel, have you seen my brothers?"

"Yes. Why?" he asked.

"I think they might have taken my doll. And Ellie and I were going to play 'Elf Dolls.' Do you know where they are?"

"They went off somewhere with Legolas. But I don't know where they are. I'm sorry, Arwen. I hope you get your doll back," Glorfindel said as Arwen rushed out the door.

*********

"Elladan! Elrohir!" Arwen called. "Where are you guys?" She was walking around, looking for her brothers. She was not watching where she was going and bumped into her father.

"Arwen, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Sorry, Ada," Arwen muttered. "I was looking for Elladan and Elrohir."

"Why?" Lord Elrond sighed.

"I think they might have Anarel."

"Very well, Arwen. I saw them not too long ago playing with their swords," he said. "Legolas was with them. They were over by their room. Oh, Arwen," her father called as she ran off, "have you seen Glorfindel?"

"Yeah. He's in the library. See you later, Ada."

*********

Just as Arwen found her brothers, Legolas came over and gave her a hug.

"What was that for?" Arwen snapped, swirling around to face him. Legolas blushed as the twins turned and looked at him.

"Arwen, can we talk in private?" he whispered.

Arwen rolled her eyes but followed Legolas outside towards the river.

"Arwen," Legolas said once they were too far away for anyone else to hear them, "the reason I brought you here is because… well, Arwen, I… I love you!" he blurted out, his fair skin a bright shade of pink.

"Legolas," Arwen replied softly, "I'm flattered you would say that, but… but…"

"But what, Arwen?" he asked.

"I don't think I can say the same thing to you." She stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry, Legolas. But I'm not meant for you. I'm very sorry."

*********

Ellethana hid behind a tree when she heard her sister and Legolas talking. She had come out by the river to relax, but she knew Arwen would get mad if she knwe Ellie was there. All she heard was Arwen's reply. She had not heard what Legolas said but was pretty sure she could guess.

"Legolas," she heard Arwen say once more, "I'm just not good enough for you. I know I'm destined to be with someone else. Elf, Man, Hobbit, or even Dwarf. We just aren't meant to be together. We are so young. I am only fifteen, and you are just sixteen. We are too young, Legolas. What would my father think of this?"

"He would love it," Legolas said. Ellie knew Master Elrond probably would not like it, but she could tell Legolas was trying to convince Arwen he was right. "I'm sure he would rather you love me than a mortal. You know how he feels about them. Especially Isildur and his line."

"Yes, but what if I decide on another elf? What do you have to say about that, Mr. Prince?" she asked in a cool tone. Ellethana had never heard Arwen talk like that before. "Oh, and don't you dare say anything like that again, Legolas!" she added.

"Say what, pretty Arwen?" Legolas asked in an innocent tone.

"You should know!" she shouted. Ellethana knew what Arwen was talking about. The comment about Isildur had upset her. Isildur was a descendant of Elros, who had been Lord Elrond's brother. Arwen's back was towards Ellie, but Ellie had a pretty good idea of what Arwen's face looked like.

Arwen was trying to keep her feelings under control. But she was having a troublesome time of that. She knew she need to get away from Legolas or she would scream.

"Legolas," she said in the calmest voice she could manage, "I must return to Rivendell."

Ellethana was amazed at how rude Arwen was being to their guest. She turned to leave, knowing she could not face either Arwen or Legolas at that point. _'The twins were right,'_ she thought. _'He really does like her. Too bad Arwen can't see how nice he is.'_

As Ellie ran away, she heard Legolas shout, "Arwen, I love you!"

Arwen replied with an "I don't feel that way about you!"

As soon as Ellethana got back to her room, she flung herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

*********

"Glorfindel, have you seen the girls?" It was almost dinnertime, and the Elven Lord had not seen Arwen or Ellethana since lunch.

"No, Elrond. I haven't. But I do know Legolas went down to the river with someone this afternoon," Glorfindel replied.

"Thank you." Elrond now knew where Legolas was, but he still needed to find his girls. "Arwen! Ellethana! Where are you?" he called.

*********

Ellethana woke up to hear someone calling her name. She got up and wondered what time it was and why someone was calling her. She changed in to fresh clothes and walked out into the hallway.

"Ellethana! There you are." Ellie turned to find Master Elrond walking towards her. "Have you seen Arwen anywhere, Ellie?"

"I saw her by the river with Legolas," she replied, looking up at her adopted father.

"Thank you, Ellie," he said. "Oh and by the way, it's almost dinnertime," he added as he left.

*********

After dinner, Ellethana went to her room and wrote in her journal.

_Dear My Butterfly,_

_I am in great pain. Legolas is in love with Arwen. I do not have a chance with him. Arwen will not stop snubbing him. She is so mean to him. I love him though. I really like him. He is nice, and Arwen told me he is a prince. I think Ammë would like him. So would Ada. But why does he not notice me? Why is he so interested in my cousin? If only he knew how she really felt about him, then he would not be wasting his time. At least I do not think so. What about you, Wil? What do you think about all of this? Legolas told her how he felt about her. And she was so mean back! She basically told him to shut up!_

_She can be so mean sometimes. And annoying. I… I am struggling with my feelings. I think I am in love with __him. Yes, I am pretty sure I love Legolas. I shall think about this subject some more and tell you when I find the answer._

_Yours forever,  
Ellethana_

Ellethana thought about what she had written in her journal. She knew Legolas would bee there for a few months, and she felt like she needed to spend sometime with him before he went home. But she was worried. She did not know how to approach him. _'What should I do?'_

*********

Later that night, a young elf was having trouble sleeping. He could not understand Arwen's rejection to him; he had been sure he was right. So why had she gotten so upset when he talked about Isildur? He really did not understand her sometimes. He had a younger sister, and sometimes, he could not understand her at all. Girls were so confusing!

'_If things don't work out with Arwen, there is always Ellethana,'_ he thought. _'Ellie, Ellie, Ellie, Ellie!'_ Legolas told himself over and over.

"You know that's what she wants to be called," he muttered.

'_Perhaps I should find out more about her. She seems nice. All I know about her is that she lives here and her parents died when she was younger,'_ he mused to himself. _'Except I can't ask her, so who should I ask? I can't ask Arwen; maybe I and ask Lord Elrond or Master Glorfindel. I'm sure they would know what I wish to find out.'_


	2. Getting to Know Each Other

[An Unnamed Story, Ch. 2] By Manwathiel

The next morning, Legolas walked into the library in hope of finding Glorfindel. He wanted to find out more about Ellie but felt he could not talk to her directly. He also knew Arwen would NOT answer any of his questions. He did not feel comfortable talking to Lord Elrond or Erestor, but he was okay talking with Glorfindel. Legolas looked all over but could not find the elf he was looking for. He saw the twins reading about swords and another elf that he disliked greatly, but not the one blond elf he was looking for.

Legolas sat down and thought about everything he knew about Ellethana. He knew her parents died when she was younger and that she had come to live with her mother's cousin's family; Ellie's mother and the Lady Celebrían were cousins, and he knew this because Elladan and Elrohir had told him. The young blond elf knew what it was like to lose a parent. He mother had died when he was twelve. Laurelin was killed by orcs when she and Thranduil went on a trip. Legolas still remembered when his father brought his dying mother back home.

_It was late at night and his parents still were not back on the day they said they would be. Twelve-year-old Legolas Greenleaf was sitting in his older brother's lap crying. His younger sister Miriel, who at the time had been ten, sat on Nimloth's lap. Nimloth was one of their caretakers. _

_Suddenly, the doors burst open and in came the King and the Queen. The Queen was laying down on a stretcher-type-thing. The King called to Nimloth to help him with his wife because he needed to get her to the healing rooms immediately. Nimloth set Miriel down and ran off to help her king. Legolas watched as his little sister ran over to one of their other older brothers and climbed into his lap. He looked around at his three older brothers to see if they were crying. None of them were. Only his sister was. _

_*****_

_About half an hour later, Nimloth came out and said Laurelin had died. All the princes and the princess started to cry. The king then came over, and, seeing his only daughter crying, he went over and pulled her onto his lap. He then proceeded to tell about the trip. _

_*****_

_Forty-five minutes later, young Legolas lay in his bed thinking about everything that had happened that day. He was still crying when he finally fell asleep. _

"Prince Legolas, what a surprise. I didn't know _you_ were visiting Rivendell." Legolas looked up to see whom the speaker was.

"Well, well, well. Ashiaro. What are you doing here?" He knew exactly what the older elf was doing there but did not really care. Ashiaro was just one of the other elves who lived with Lord Elrond. "If you'll excuse me, I must find someone."

*********

As the blond elf walked out of the library, he went straight outside and turned towards the river. He was lonely and wished one of his friends was there with him. He also wished that Glorfindel had been in the library to talk. He had no clue where the blond adviser was hiding.

*********

Glorfindel walked out of the kitchen. He had been helping Erestor clean up the breakfast dishes because something had gone wrong that morning. He had planned to be outside with the twins helping them with their swords, but they had started complaining during breakfast. Elrond decided to punish them; since Glorfindel had nothing to do and Erestor needed help cleaning up after the meal, he would have the blond elf help the neat freak in the kitchen. The advisor, seeing that Elrond was already upset with Elladan and Elrohir, decided not to object. And finally, he was free to do what he wanted, which was go to the library and read a good book.

"Glorfindel!" a young elf's voice called out to him.

"Oh, hello, Legolas," the older elf replied. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes. But how did you know?" His young face was full of confusion.

"Your eyes, Legolas," Glorfindel replied, laughing. "They gave you away."

Legolas looked down, afraid his eyes would give away all his secrets.

"Don't worry, Legolas," he added, laughing some more. "Now what did you want to talk about?" Glorfindel asked.

"Well, I kind of wanted to know more about Ellethana," he started.

"She prefers to be called Ellie, Legolas."

"Yes, I know."

"So what do you want to know about her?"

"Well, first of all, do you know why she prefers to be called Ellie?"

"I think that might have something to do with her parents," Glorfindel explained. "You see, they died when she was younger, and if I'm not mistaken, they were among the few whom she let call her by her full name. Those are now Elrond, Celebrían, Celeborn, Galadriel, Ashiaro, Erestor sometimes, and me. I think that is everyone. She has been hurt many times before, Legolas."

"I know, Glorfindel. She has. But do you have any clue as to why she stays to herself all the time? I mean she barely talks at all. She talks once in a while, but not that often."

"That might have something to do with when she was younger too," Glorfindel replied. "You must remember that she grew up in Lothlórien, where the elves have light hair like you and me. I am pretty sure it might have to do with the fact that they made fun of her for her dark hair. She used to come home in the middle of the day, crying that the others had teased her."

Legolas knew this problem to be true. He had had a similar struggle in his youth too. All the other elflings had teased him and been mean to him just because he was royal. Not that he liked being called a prince! In fact, he hated it. He did not think being a prince was his fate.

_Four-year-old Legolas Greenleaf came running into his mother's arms after an hour or so of playing with some of the other young elves in Mirkwood. It was after lunch, and the young elf-prince had lessons in the morning but was allowed to play with the other elflings in the area in the afternoon. These little outbursts happened every couple of weeks, but they had never been that bad. He mother pulled him onto her lap and tried to soothe her son. She knew exactly what the problem was. _

"_Legolas," she said softly, "were they teasing you again today?" _

"_Yes, Ammë. It makes me feel really upset. Why does Ada have to be the king?" he asked. "Or why do I have to be a prince?" _

"_Legolas, darling, I know you do not like this and it makes you upset, but please, try to understand. The others are jealous of you because you have special privileges. The only way they can fight jealously is by being mean, okay?" _

"_Okay, Ammë, but what is a privilege?" he asked. The Queen smiled. If Legolas was asking questions like that, then it usually meant he was feeling better. _

"_A privilege is where you have something special and other people do not. Alright?" The young boy nodded, so his mother sent him out to play. _'It is a good thing he is feeling better,'_ she thought. It was also a good thing she did not have to take this problem to King Thranduil. _

Legolas now knew that he was very privileged to be a prince. His father had held special things on his birthday and many other good things had happened to him. He also knew he was privileged to even have a father with him. He knew many less fortunate people than himself. Like Ellethana, for example. Her father was killed by orcs, and her mother died of grief a few months later. Legolas knew she got sad, and so did he. Every year on the day his mother died, he only wanted to be alone.

Last year, he had been in Mirkwood that day, and the only time his father ever came out of his room had been for dinner. Legolas himself went about his normal duties, a little bit faster than normal, and after he finished, he went and practiced with his bow and arrows. He had done this every day since his mother died, even more so on _that_ day. The morning after she died, the young price vowed to practice archery every day and not conceal himself on the day of her death. He knew his mother wouldn't want him to do that. Legolas thought long and hard about being a prince. He knew it was an important job, and his father expected his older brother, the oldest, to become the king when he left. Now that he was older, Legolas understood more about the royal way of life. He knew that it wasn't easy, for they often had many people coming to the palace for help or something else. If he ever became king, he decided that he would do everything to help those in need.

**********

Ellethana walked about the beautiful green valley of Rivendell. She loved days like this when she was all alone and had the morning to herself. Usually when she had time like this to herself, she would write or draw or just think. Today was a day when she decided to just think. Ellie had plenty to think about. She needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She knew she was in love with Legolas, but did not know how to get his attention.

"Oh, Legolas," she whispered to herself, "Why will you not notice me?"

"What did you say?" a voice asked behind her.

'_Who could that be?'_ she wondered. Ellethana spun around and found Elladan. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Elrohir. He ran away while we were in the library. Have you seen him?"

"No, but he might be in the fields, practicing his weaponry," she replied. She was annoyed that Elladan would interrupt her on her morning alone.

"Thanks, Ellie," Elladan said as he ran off in the direction of the fields.

'_Finally,'_ she thought to herself, _'alone again.'_ Ellethana didn't mind the twins, but sometimes they got on her nerves. Sometimes, they got on everyone's nerves. She remembered a time when they drove all the elves in Rivendell crazy.

_This day started out like any other, except for the fact that the twins were quite restless. The family ate breakfast and Erestor went to clean up afterwards, like any other day. The rest of them were just sitting at the table. Suddenly from the kitchen, they heard a scream. Thinking something had happened to Erestor, everyone got up and ran to the kitchen. Everyone, that was, save Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen. Arwen, as she told Ellethana later, had gone to her room to work on something. The twins, on the other hand, Ellie had no clue as to why they had left. Elrond, Celebrían, Glorfindel, Ellethana and Legolas (who was visiting at the time) saw what had made Erestor scream like he did. The kitchen was a mess!! There were pots and pans everywhere; all the silverware was out and it looked like someone had done this on purpose. But who? Who would have done such a thing?_

"_Who did this?" Elrond boomed. "I want to know now!" Elrond did not shout like that very often, but when he did, it meant he was really mad. It scared Ellethana when Master Elrond got like this and all she wanted to do was run to her room and hide._

"_Elrond, darling," Celebrían said in her soft voice much like Legolas' mother had done before she died, "maybe this isn't the best way to do this."_

"_You're right, honey. If anyone needs me or wants to admit to this, I'll be in my study," he replied and left the room._

_*****_

_Arwen was sitting in her room on her bed, reading a book. When she heard her father yelling, she got up and walked out into the dining room. No one was there. She went to the Hall of Fire, but again, there was nobody in there. She walked into the kitchen. There she saw everyone just standing there with their mouths open._

"_Ellie!" Arwen whispered. Ellethana turned. "What happened?"_

"_I do not know, Arwen. I would guess from what it looks like that somebody did this to be mean. But I do not know who it was. Nobody does."_

"_My brothers," Arwen said quietly, in a fierce voice. "They did it, Ellie. I just know it. Did you notice how they slipped out of the room as Erestor left the table?"_

"_Yes, I did notice," Ellethana replied. "It seemed as if they had something to hide. Now we just have to tell Ada Elrond that they did it and everything will be fine. Do not worry, Arwen."_

_*****_

"_So you're saying that Elladan and Elrohir did it, Arwen?"_

"_Yes, Ada. I know they did. We noticed they slipped out of the dining room right as Erestor went into the kitchen. Didn't we, Ellie?" Arwen asked._

_Ellie nodded. "Yes we did, Arwen," she replied._

"_Are you positive, Ellethana?" Elrond asked. Ellie tensed a little bit. She wasn't used to people calling her by her first name anymore. "Are you sure you aren't just trying to lay the blame on them, Arwen?"_

_Arwen almost burst into tears when her father asked her that. "Yes, Ada. I'm positive," she said. "Why?"_

"_Because I noticed you left a few minutes before your brothers did. So how did you know that they left?"_

"_Ellie told me. Anyway, I saw them run past my room," Arwen replied._

"_Alright, Arwen. You and Ellie may go," Elrond said. "I will talk to your brothers about this."_

_*****_

"_Can you believe it, Ellie?" Arwen almost shouted. She was really upset. "My own father doesn't even believe me! I mean, did you hear what he said to me?"_

_Ellethana rolled her eyes. "Yes Arwen, I did hear everything he said. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to my room to work on a project."_

_*****_

"_What do you mean, Ada?" Elrohir asked._

"_Yeah, Ada. We didn't do it!" Elladan added. Elrond raised his eyebrow in question at his sons. He knew what good liars they could be when they had done something they should not have._

"_Are you sure, boys?" he questioned them._

"_Yes, Ada, we're sure," they said together at the same time. They grinned. There was no way Ada would find out they did it. Unfortunately, they didn't know that he had already figured it out._

_*****_

_Elrond walked down the hall to find Erestor and Glorfindel. To his surprise, the Elven lord found the two advisors working together to clean up the mess in the kitchen._

"_What are you doing?" he asked in surprise._

"_Cleaning up, of course," one of them replied. The two looked at each other._

"_Elrond, are you feeling alright?" Glorfindel asked. "You look like you're going to faint, mellon-nin."_

"_I'm fine, Glorfindel. Just a little confused and surprised." Elrond picked up a chair. "And stressed," he muttered to himself._

"_What did you say, Elrond? Don't tell me you're rambling off again," Glorfindel said. Elrond closed his eyes briefly then snapped them open again. "Perhaps you should get some rest, mellon-nin. Forgive me for saying this, but you look terrible! Erestor and I can handle the rest of this mess, right, Erestor?" Erestor nodded._

"_Alright," Elrond said, "I will as soon as you answer my question." The two advisors shrugged, so Elrond proceeded. "Should I believe the twins or Ellie and Arwen?" _

"_About what?" Erestor asked. _

"_About what happened." _

_Glorfindel, who at the time had been drying the dishes that Erestor had washed, turned around. "Why?" _

"_Because…" the Elven Lord started to say, but was stopped when the door opened. _

"_Elrond! I've been looking all over for you!" Elrond did not have to turn around to know who this voice belonged to. "Arwen has been looking for you too," she said. "She and the twins have been arguing most of the afternoon." _

"_Alright, Celebrían. I will go and look to this," Elrond replied. "I think I know what they are arguing about."_

_*****_

_Ellethana followed Master Elrond out of the kitchen and towards the argument, and she went to her room. When she sat down on her bed, she noticed her sketchbook lying on her desk. _

'I have not drawn in a long time,'_ she thought. _'It might be nice to relax.'

_She decided to draw Celebrían, Arwen's mother. When she was done, she ripped the page out, wrote a short note, and snuck out of her room and down the hall. To get to Arwen's room, she would have to go right past the twins and Arwen. Hopefully, she could do it without them noticing her. She made it. Now all she had to do was get to the room without anyone else seeing her. Ellie snuck into Arwen's bedroom and placed the picture on her bed. _

_*****_

_Arwen came into her room after giving up in the argument with her brothers. She glanced around the room, looking for her book. She spotted something on her bed and walked over to pick it up. She smiled when she saw it. It looked so real. She loved it. Arwen spotted a not. She pulled it off and read it. _

'Dear Arwen,' _it said_, 'I hope you like this picture of your Ammë. I have made it as life-like as possible. It did not take me long, and I am proud of the picture. I love your Ammë very much. She reminds me of Auntie Galadriel, and I miss her. She also reminds me of my Ammë, whom I miss very much. Sometime I will show you the pictures of my parents. Again, I hope you like the picture I drew. Your friend forever, Ellie.'

"_Ellie!" Arwen called, looking for her friend. "Where are you?" _

_Ellie came out of her room just as Arwen passed it. "Arwen, I am right here, mellon-nin,' she said softly in a voice not unlike her mother's. _

"_There you are!" Arwen exclaimed. "Ellie, I love it. It's the prettiest picture I've ever seen!" _

"_I am glad you like it so much, Arwen." Ellethana smiled. If her cousin liked that one as much as she did, Ellie knew she would have to show her the pictures of her parents. "Did you read the note?" _

"_Yeah. I'm glad you have reminders of your Ammë and Ada, Ellie. I would like to see the pictures." _

"_Maybe later," Ellethana replied. She was not ready to let anyone else see them yet. "Perhaps we should go play with our dolls." _

_*****_

_Elrond walked towards the twin's room, bringing Legolas with him. "Legolas, do you know anything about the mess in the kitchen?" _

"_No, Lord Elrond. I do not. But I did notice Elladan and Elrohir sneaking out right before Erestor went into the kitchen," the younger boy offered. _

"_Thank you, Legolas. Now listen carefully…" The Elven Lord's voice got quieter. Do you understand?" he asked. _

"_Yes." _

"_Okay. Now go."_

_Two hours later, the twins were given triple kitchen duty, and Arwen was free. The two girls were thrilled. They played for the rest of the afternoon. _

**********

Ellethana was thankful she had brought her sketchbook with her. She was just doodling when she found herself draw Legolas right next to her, holding her hand. She worked on the details for a while, and when she was finished, she was proud of her work. She knew she could never show it to anyone else, especially not Legolas or Arwen. She turned the page, staring at it for a while, not sure what to draw. Suddenly, it came to her. She stopped tapping her pen on the pad and started drawing once again.

**********

"Arwen!" Ellie called as she walked down the hall. "I have something I want to give you! Where is she?" she muttered to herself.

"Hi, Ellie," Arwen said. "You said you had something you wanted to give me."

"Yes. This is what I wanted you to have," Ellethana responded. She handed Arwen the picture she had drawn.

**********

Arwen gasped. The picture was beautiful! "Oh, Ellie, I love it!" It was a picture of the two girls holding hands. It looked so real. "Ellie, I'm keeping this forever!"

"I am glad you like it, Arwen. I like it too. Here is the note that goes with it."

Arwen took the note and read it. It said, '_Dear Arwen – I hope you like this picture. I drew it as a symbol of our friendship. I really like it, and please know that our friendship means a lot to me. I have decided to show you the pictures of my Ada and Ammë. You are my best friend. – Yours forever, Ellie._'

"Thanks, Ellie. I'm glad we're friends."

"Me too, mellon-nin. Me too."

**********

Legolas was glad of the quiet time he had to himself that afternoon. Sometimes life could get quite crazy with the twins around. Legolas enjoyed drawing, something his father did not like him to "waste your time" doing. Legolas thought that was nonsense. And once, he had told his father that.

"_Ada, look!" Nine-year-old Legolas Greenleaf said. "Do you like it? I drew it just for you!" He proudly held up his drawing of his mother and father sitting together in the throne room. _

"_Legolas," the King began, "drawing is a waste of time. You mustn't waste your time like that, ion-nin." ((My son)) _

"_Yes, Ada." The young boy was close to tears. "I understand," he said. Then he ran out. _

_*****_

_He ran out into his mother, who was on her way to talk to the King. _

"_Legolas, what ever is the matter?" she asked. _

"_Ada said I'm not allowed to draw anymore, Ammë!" he exclaimed. "But I like to draw. Why won't Ada let me?" _

_His mother sighed. "Legolas, you still can draw, just don't tell your Adar. All right?" _

"_Okay, Ammë," he responded. "Since Ada doesn't want the picture, do you want it?" _

_*****_

"_Legolas!" came Thranduil's angry voice. "That is no way to talk to your father!" Legolas had just told his father how much he enjoyed drawing and was going to continue it no matter what the King said. And that he was wrong when he said drawing was a waste of time. _

That had been seven years ago, and Legolas drew in his free time when he had it. He looked down at his sketchbook. There, to his surprise and horror, was a drawing of he and Ellie sitting together beside the river!

'_She looks almost sad,'_ he thought. In his heart, he felt compassion for whatever had happened to this lovely young lady before his eyes. Suddenly he realized that he was in love with Ellethana! He couldn't believe it! Right then and there he knew it.

"Wow. I'm a little slow right now. Must come from not having Miriel to wake me up every morning."

**********

Ellie was sitting in her room, thinking, when she heard some calling her name.

"Ellie! Ellie!" came the voice. She walked out of her room, and to her surprise, there was Legolas!

"Hi, Legolas," she said, suddenly a little bit shy. Why would he be looking for her?

"Ellie," he said, taking her hands in his, "do you want to take a walk down to the river with me?"

His hands holding hers made it hard to think. "With you?" she asked.

"Yes with me, Silly."

"Okay."

**********

Ten minutes later, the two were sitting on a bench near the river, just like in Legolas's picture. He planned to tell her exactly how her felt and show her the picture. Soon. First he wanted to find out more about her. He needed to know how she felt about him before he could tell her. Legolas cleared his throat.

"Um… Ellie," he said. That was all he could get out.

"Yes, Legolas?" Her hazel eyes were shining.

"Um… I have something I want to give you." Here he pulled out the picture he had drawn. "I don't know if it means anything to you or not, but I kinda hope it means to you what it means to me."

**********

Ellie looked at the picture. She gasped. He was a great artist! Then she took the time to ponder his words. Did they mean what she hoped they meant? "What do you mean, Legolas?" she asked.

"Ellie… I… I think I'm in love with you!" he blurted out. His face was bright red.

"Oh, Legolas, I have felt that way about you, but knowing how much you loved Arwen…" her voice trailed off. "I heard what you said to her a few days ago." Ellie hated to ruin the moment, but she felt she had to tell him.

"What did you hear, Ellie?" he asked. Almost sharply, Ellie thought.

"I heard almost all of it, Legolas," she replied quietly.

"Oh," came his defeated response. "So do you like me?"

"Yes, Legolas, I do. That is why it made me upset when I heard her talking to you like that. I also have something to show and maybe give you. Here it is." She handed him the picture she had drawn earlier of the two of them walking together. "I hope you like it."

"Oh, Ellie! It's beautiful! I mean it," he said when she blushed. "I'll keep it if you keep mine."

"Okay," she replied, still feeling the heat in her cheeks.

They spent the rest of the day together, looking at each other's drawings, talking, and finding out more about each other. Legolas liked the pictures of Ellie's parents, and Ellie liked the pictures of Legolas's parents.

**********

Legolas and Ellethana started doing things and talking together, and pretty soon, they knew almost everything about each other. There were a few things Ellie wouldn't tell Legolas about. They were still too personal and sad for her to talk about. Like the night her mother had died. She still, even after all the years it had been, she could not tell anyone what had happened. She herself only thought about it when she was sad and depressing nights. Tonight was one of those nights. News had reached them that Celebrían was going to stay in Lothlórien for an extra three days.

_Her mother lay on the fleet (place in the trees) asleep. _

"_Ammë!" seven-year-old Ellethana cried, the tears flooding her eyes. "Ammë!" Her mother opened her eyes and tried to smile. Then she died. _

"_Ammë! Wake up!" Ellie said, unable to contain the tears filling up her hazel eyes. She knelt down by her mother's body and spent the rest of the night crying until she cried herself to sleep. _

_*****_

_The next morning, her great-aunt came to take her away while her mother's body was buried. Ellie was crying again, and Galadriel and Celeborn were trying to comfort her. She fell asleep after refusing to eat. She did not do anything that day, and she would not eat either. _

_*****_

_The next day, Ellethana was more like herself. After eating a small bite of lembas, a special kind of elvish bread, Galadriel sent her off to play. She went over to Finna's house. Finna was her best friend in Lothlórien. _

"_Finna!" Ellie called. "I am here." _

"_Ellie!" Finna replied in a joyous voice. "I'm so happy to see you! I was worried about you when you didn't come yesterday. I thought something bad had happened to you." Ellie stopped short. _

"_Finna, something did happen yesterday," she whispered. _

"_What?" Finna asked, noticing the change in her young friend. "Come on, Ellie. You can tell me." _

"_My Ammë died late in the night," Ellethana replied with tears in her eyes. The two girls talked for a while, then they played. Ellie felt a little bit better. _

Ellethana's eyes filled with tears. She hated it when this happened. "Oh, Ammë," she whispered quietly into the darkness that filled her room, "I miss you so much."

**********

The next morning, Ellie looked somewhat tired to Legolas. Her eyes were red, so he figured she had been crying for most of the night.

"Ellie," he said quietly, moving closer to her, "are you all right?"

"I am fine, Legolas. I just did not sleep very well last night," she replied.

"All right," he said, not really believing her. "After breakfast, would you like to take a walk with me down to the river?"

"Okay," she replied sadly.

**********

Ellethana was quiet during the walk down to the river.

"Okay, Ellie. I know something isn't right. You're too quiet today. What's wrong?" Legolas asked.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked, her eyes full of tears.

"Of course," he replied.

"It was eight years ago," she said quietly. "Eight years ago from last night."

"What happened, Ellie?" Legolas could not know the pain it felt to lose both of one's parents. He did not know the pain he was causing her by asking her that simple question.

**********

Legolas waited silently for Ellie to respond.

"My Ammë died." She said this so quietly that Legolas had to strain his ears to hear her. One did not have to look at her to know she had been crying. He knew what it was like to lose one's mother. "I was only seven at the time."

Legolas wanted to pull into a hug and hold her there until her tears stopped, like his Naneth used to do. "Ellie," he said softly, "My Naneth died four years ago. I no longer have her with me. My sister Miriel was just ten years old. I understand your pains."

"But you still have your Adar, Legolas," she objected.

"Yes, I do. But…"

"I do not. My Ada died before my Ammë," she interrupted.

"If you had not interrupted me, Ellie," he began, "I was going to say that, though my father is still alive, he doesn't really like me. I chose to go and explore the world, but he wanted me to stay home and learn all those things about being a prince. Like I don't already know all that stuff," he muttered under his breath. "So it's like I don't have a father anymore, which is why I visit Rivendell so often, because Lord Elrond is like a father to me."

"He is like a father to me, too. And Celebrían, although she is my second cousin, she treats me like her own daughter. I am glad I live in Rivendell. I do not know how I would survive otherwise. I know they love me."

"The Lady Celebrían is like a mother to me, also. When Naneth died, she came to visit Mirkwood and helped Ada sort of get over his grief. She helped me a lot when I suffered with Naneth's death."

"I remember that after Ada died, she came to visit Ammë and helped her through a very hard time. She and Auntie Galadriel both were very kind to me after Ada died. It has been so long since they died, but I still remember it like it was yesterday." She paused, and Legolas looked at her with loving eyes. "Ada was so young. He was an innocent traveler, killed by orcs," she muttered. "It was not fair that he should die."

"Ellie," Legolas said, "I understand your feud towards the orcs. My Naneth was killed by orcs too." His voice shook with emotion. "I loved her so much."

"What happened with your father?" she asked.

"Ada?" he responded. She nodded. "He and I disagree with many things. He doesn't believe one should spend time drawing when you could be doing other 'more important' things, or so he says."

"I know you like to draw, Legolas," Ellie said, "but what do you do when he talks to you like that?"

"I usually ignore him. He needs to know that he can't run my life, and I will do as I please. Once, he spanked me for telling him what I thought. I was sore for several days after that." Legolas gave a sad smile. "That was after Naneth died. She never would have allowed him to do something like that. I'm just waiting for him to say he loves me. He hasn't said that to me since shortly after Naneth was killed."

"I understand. Ada Elrond and Celebrían are some of the only people who tell me they love me. You too. I really miss Ada and Ammë. Especially on days when I am alone. The last time I saw Ada was before he left on the trip to come to Rivendell to see his brother. I would be living with my uncle, but he does not like me. Anyways, he has three kids to take care of, none of whom I have ever met."

"Does it ever bother you that you have relatives, close ones at that, and you've never met them? I have never met my father's sister. She left Mirkwood long ago, before I was born, and has never come back."

"I have met my uncle once before, but he was mean and slapped me when I said something to his wife." Legolas shuddered. He could not imagine anyone slapping sweet Ellie. "Oh, Legolas!" Ellie said sadly, "I have never really fit in, where ever I am. I am very different, in one way or another. Like in Lothlórien, I was one of the only elves with dark hair, and here in Rivendell, I just do not fit in properly. I have always been left out."

"Ellie," Legolas said, "I know what it feels like to be excluded."

"You do? But you are a prince, Legolas," she responded.

"I know. But I still went through the hardships of childhood. And being a prince adds even more problems. I was excluded because the other children thought I would be mean and bossy like my father. And as a prince, there are always people fussing over you. I guess it is kind of nice, because you don't have to do a lot of work, but the lessons we had to take were horrid. Just ask Miriel. She hates them!" He paused. "Ellie, I must ask you this. Would you rather be inside, learning about geography and sewing, or outside, playing and sword-fighting and doing archery?"

"I would rather be outside, maybe reading a book or something," Ellethana replied, smiling. "What about you?"

"I would rather be outside, exploring and having adventures with my friends," Legolas responded. "I enjoying reading and drawing, and I would prefer to be alone instead of with a huge group. Sometimes when I'm on a journey or something, I like to get away from the group and draw. Do you like being with a group or alone better?"

"I, like you, would much rather be alone. I have always been like that."

"Ellie," Legolas said softly, "tell me everything about you and your past." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he deeply regretted it. Her hazel eyes, which had been clear and beautiful, were now clouded.

"Everything?" she asked.

**********

Why was Legolas asking her about her past? Did he not know how sad it was?

"Everything?" she repeated, her voice still not much more than a mere whisper. She was staring out at the rushing river, not really seeing it.

"Yes. Everything," he replied.

"I cannot," she said, still staring at the river. "Legolas," she turned to look at him, "I must go."

**********

'_Now why would Ellie run away?'_ Legolas thought. _'She ought to know how much I love her. I would never want to hurt her.'_

He, too, started to return to the Last Homely House. "What should I tell her?" he asked himself aloud. "Why would she leave like that?"

He knew the answer. He had offended her by asking about her past. He had guessed that she would get upset. "I knew I shouldn't have asked her about that. I didn't know she would get _that_ upset!"

"Yes, you did," the little voice accused. "You knew exactly what would happen."

**********

Arwen was just walking down the hall to the kitchen when Ellie tore towards her room. She looked really upset.

"Ellie, what's wrong?" Arwen asked. It really made Arwen wonder when all the other girl did was shrug her shoulders.

**********

All Ellethana wanted was to be alone in her room. She was very upset now that Legolas had asked her about that. For her, it was a very sad topic. She rarely talked about it, and when she did, she could only say a few things at a time. She had thought Legolas understood about her felling, but she could now see that she had been wrong.

**********

"Ada!" Arwen called. "Ada, Ellie is acting weird!"

"Interesting, Arwen," Elrond replied. It annoyed Arwen when her father used his boring tone.

"Ada, she came running down the hall earlier, looking really upset. I don't know what was wrong. I want to help her, but I don't know what to do."

"Arwen, darling, Ellie may not want your help. I did notice that she seemed a little bit tired this morning at breakfast. Tell her it is time for a checkup. I will see her in the Healing Rooms," Elrond said to his daughter.

**********

'_Why would Ada Elrond want to see me? And in the Healing Rooms, of all places!'_ Ellie thought as she walked down the hall towards the Rooms.

"Good afternoon, Ellethana," came a male voice. "I have been waiting for you. I see Arwen told you to come and see me."

"Hello, Ada Elrond," Ellie said. "Um, why am I here?"

"Arwen did not tell you, Ellie?" Ellie shook her head. "It is time for your checkup."

"Oh."

"Ellie, before we start, I would like to ask you a few questions, if that's alright with you."

"Okay," she replied hesitantly. _'Has he already figured it out?'_ she thought.

"Ellethana, darling," Elrond said, "Is something bothering you?"

**********

Elrond noticed that Ellethana looked a bit scared, like she wanted to hide something. And he had not missed her sharp intake of breath at her full name.

"No," she said slowly.

"Maybe," she said. "Okay, yes. Something is bothering me."

Elrond raised his eyebrow. "What is bothering you?" he asked.

**********

Ellethana was nervous. She did not want to tell Ada Elrond what was wrong. "Just something, Ada Elrond. I can take care of it."

"Alright, Ellie, if you're sure." He looked as if he did not believe her. "I'm always here if you need someone to talk to."

"Hannon-le, Ada Elrond. But I think I will be okay. Well," she paused, "maybe I would like to talk about it. You see, Legolas and I were taking a walk together down by the river this afternoon, and we were talking. Then he asked me a question, and I got really upset and ran away."

"Might I ask what he said to you, Ellie?" Master Elrond asked.

"He… he asked me about my past," she said quietly. She could barely speak because of her tears. She did not care whether Lord Elrond saw them, for he had seen her cry many times before. "He wanted to know everything about it, Ada Elrond! I have already told him everything I can talk about right now. I thought he understood," she said much more softly.

"I'm sure he does, Ellethana. He just does not understand that you are not ready to talk about it. Just explain that to him," Elrond said. Her sobs stopped for a minute while she thought.

"Alright," Ellethana responded. "I will try."

"Very well. It is now time for your checkup," Elrond replied.

**********

"Elrond, you must rest!" an insistent voice said loudly. Elrond knew the blond elf was right. He was exhausted. Not only had he given Ellie her checkup, but Arwen had come in a little while later complaining of a headache. And if that was not enough, Elladan and Elrohir had gotten into a fight, and Elrohir had ended up getting hurt.

"Come on, Elrond. You must get some sleep. Celebrían wouldn't want you this way. Come, mellon-nin."

"Alright. I will. But only if you promise to keep an eye on Ellie," he replied. During her checkup, he had found that she had sprained her ankle. He was not allowing her to get up out of bed for the rest of the day.

"I will, Elrond. Now go!" Glorfindel responded.

"And one more thing, Glorfindel," Elrond said as he walked out, "don't let Legolas talk to Ellie. It might upset her."

**********

"Glorfindel," Ellie asked, "May I see Legolas? I need to talk to him."

"Ellethana, Elrond said he was not to visit you. I don't know why."

"Alright then. Will you get Ashiaro for me?"

"Okay, Ellie. But after that you must rest."

"I will, Glorfindel," she replied. While she waited for Ashiaro to come, her thoughts wandered to how she and the older elf had first met.

_A young Ellethana sat with her mother on a blanket in the warm sun. They were waiting for Gil-gond, Ellie's father, to return from Rivendell. Whenever he was gone, the mother and daughter would sit together in the afternoons and pray to Ilúvatar that he would be safe. Ellie was worried about her father. At seven years old, she understood why her father had left, but what she could not understand was why her mother was holding her tighter than normal. _

"_Ammë," she said, "you are squishing me." _

"_I'm sorry, Ellethana dear," her mother replied. I'm just very worried. Your Ada should have been back by now." Ellie looked up at her mother. It was lined with worry. Wilwarin had tears in her eyes. _

"_Ammë," Ellie said, "do not cry. Please," the young girl begged, her own eyes sparkling with tears, "I do not like it when you cry, Ammë." _

"_Ellethana dear," Wilwarin said, "go be a good girl and play with Finna. Alright?" _

"_Okay," Ellie said slowly. She was reluctant to leave the safety of her mother's arms, but her mother looked anxious to go. _

_*****_

"_Finna," Ellie said, the tears still stinging her eyes, "Ada still has not returned." _

"_Oh, Ellie!" he golden-haired friend exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. Is your Ammë okay?" _

"_I think Ammë is fine, but I am not sure. She was crying a lot this morning," Ellie replied. "I rather not talk about it. Do you want to play?" _

_*****_

_Half an hour later, Ellethana walked back to her mother's home. There she saw another dark-haired elf talking with her mother. _

'It is not Ada,_' she thought. _'Who could it be?'_ But she never had any time to think about it, because just then, her mother called to her. _

"_Ellethana dear," Wilwarin said. "I'm glad you're back now. I need to speak with you." _

"_Yes, Ammë," the young girl responded, quite confused. Why would her Ammë want to talk to her? _

"_Ellethana," her mother said, "this is Ashiaro. Ashiaro, this is my daughter, Ellethana. Ashiaro is from Rivendell. Do you know where that is, Ellie?" _

"_Yes, Ammë. It is on the other side of the Misty Mountains," she replied. "Where is Ada, Ammë?" she asked, looking around. _

"_I don't know, Ellie. It is not like Gil-gond not to return on time," Wilwarin said. _

"_If you'll excuse me, mi'lady," the older boy said. "I have some business to attend to, and I would not want to be late." With that, Ashiaro left. _

_*****_

_Just then, Galadriel came in. "I'm afraid I have some bad news, Wil." _

"_What!? Are you sure, Aunt Galadriel?" Ellie's mother exclaimed. _

"_Yes, I'm afraid so, Wil. I'm sorry, but Gil-gond was killed." _

"_How? When?" Wilwarin asked. _

"_I'm not sure of the exact date or time, but he was killed by orcs on his way back from Rivendell." _

_Ellethana could not help it. She burst into tears. _

"Ellethana, are you okay?" She had not even noticed anyone come it. She wiped her eyes and turned around.

Ashiaro came and sat down beside Ellie as she rested. "What happened, Ellethana?" he asked. He had always called her Ellethana, instead of Elle, ever since he met her over eight years ago.

"I… I… do not know. I must have slipped on a rock on the way home from the river. I… I was running and not really paying attention to where I was going," she replied.

"And why were you upset and not watching where you were going?"

"Are you sure you want to know, Ashiaro?" she asked in a miserable voice. "Because I really don't want to talk about it." Her face was pink and her ankle was wrapped in a clean, white cloth. It looked painful.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I guess so, Ashiaro. It just hurts. And I am bored," she added.

"Would you like me to get Master Elrond?"

"No," Ellie said quietly. "I will be fine." She smiled briefly, but Ashiaro could tell it was really hurting her. It reminded him of a time when he was hurt… No. Not a good thing to dwell on. Definitely something he could not bring up in front of Ellethana.


End file.
